---
sourceDocument: Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/zurich/governance-risk-compliance

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    - zurich

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Zurich Governance, Risk, and Compliance

ft:clusterId :

    - grc

bundleId :

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workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Configure an impact category

# Configure an impact category for Business Continuity Management {#ariaid-title1}

* Release version: Zurich
* 
* Updated July 31, 2025
* 
* ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read

Configure an impact category to define the timeframe during which the organization would experience a downtime of its business processes. Based on the timeframe, you can determine the recovery time objective (RTO) of the
assets that the business process depends on.

## Before you begin

Role required: sn_bcm.admin

## About this task

Recovery time objective (RTO) measurement helps to verify the key points:

* Assets are recovered in time to support any parent dependencies.
* Identify gaps in asset recovery capabilities.
* Prioritize asset recovery if there is a loss scenario.
{#configure-impact-category-bcm__ul_f31_rrj_v4b}

While RTO calculates the acceptable time by which the business function is restored, Recovery Point Objective (RPO) confirms that the maximum tolerable data loss for a function is not exceeded.

## Procedure

1. Navigate to Business ContinuityGeneral AdministrationImpact Categories.
2. Click New.
3. On the form, fill in the fields.  
   {#configure-impact-category-bcm__table_k3d_xgj_2nb__entry__2}

   | Field | Description |
   |-|-|
   | Name | Name of the impact category. |
   | Contributes to | Contribution to RPO or RTO as a result of the impact on business disruption. If the impact category contributes to Recovery Point Objective, then the Impact analysis questions related list appears. |
   | Applicable timeframes | Duration of business process disruption. This field appears only if the Contributes to field value is RTO. |
   | Maximum RTO value | Metric that calculates the maximum time limit within which the business must recover an element after a disruption. |
   | Description | Brief description of the impact category. |
   [Table 1. Impact Category form]

   {#configure-impact-category-bcm__table_k3d_xgj_2nb}
4. Click Submit.
5. If your impact category contributes to the recovery point objective, click the record that you created in the Impact Categories list.
   1. Click New in the Impact analysis questions related list.
   2. Enter an impact question on the impact category in the Question field.  
      The Impact category field auto-populates the category of business impact.
   3. Enter a short description about the impact analysis question in the Description field.
   4. Click Submit.
   {#configure-impact-category-bcm__substeps_ufw_1w2_k4b}

*[\>]: and then